Take a book-inspired journey with BOOKED Trips
Immersive experiences that take travelers from the page to the place
Why BOOKED Trips?
BOOKED Trips is all about storytelling and authentic connection
BOOKED Trips connect curious and community-minded women through storytelling. Our book-inspired travel experiences and immersive itineraries take our travelers from the page to the place exploring cities around the world.
Your Next Storybook Adventures
Accra, Ghana
by Yaa Gyasi
The Experience
October 10-16, 2024
7 Days & 6 Nights
Embark on an immersive journey through Accra, Ghana, where the past and present collide in a vibrant tapestry of history, culture, and personal discovery.
SOLD OUT!
Accra and Cape Coast, Ghana
by Yaa Gyasi
The Experience
October 9-17, 2025
9 Days & 8 Nights
A new and expanded version of our Homegoing experience. More details to come!
SPOTS OPEN MARCH 2025
Panama City, Panama
by Cristina Henriquez
The Experience
March 6-11, 2025
6 Days & 5 Nights
Join us in for a 6 day, 5-night immersive experience inspired by Cristina Henríquez’s latest work of historical fiction, “The Great Divide.” We’ll experience the rich and complex history and culture of Panama from its melting pot of culinary delights to its beautiful natural splendor.
SOLD OUT!
Marrakech, Fez, and the Sahara Desert Morocco
by Fatima Mernissi
The Experience
November 1-10, 2025
10 Days & 9 Nights
More details to come!
SPOTS OPEN APRIL 2025
Johannesburg & Cape Town South Africa
The Experience
April 4-15, 2025
12 Days & 11 Nights
Join us for our first TWO city trip to Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa where we’ll explore Black-owned and women-owned businesses throughout each city and the nearby winelands learning about the food, history, and culture of these world-class cities.
SOLD OUT!
Cartagena, Colombia
The Experience
December 4-8, 2025
5 Days & 4 Nights
More details to come.
SPOTS OPEN MAY 2025
What Make a BOOKED Trips Experience
Travel centered around a story
Prior to each trip our travelers receive a BOOKED box with our selected book, a curated playlist, and items from small businesses around the world that connect to the book and the country we’re visiting. On the ground our trip activities and meals are inspired by our selected book, taking travelers from the page to the place.
Travel solo, but not alone
Our literary adventures combine the freedom of solo travel and the joy of being part of a small group of book enthusiasts. With no more than 12 spots per journey, we’re able to dive into rare experiences that large crowds miss. When the day’s adventure ends, your private room is your haven to reflect and recharge.
Your trip, your way
Tailor your travel experience to fit your unique style. We infuse each trip with time for you to unwind, explore, or simply breathe in new cultures at your leisure. You can choose to do it all or pick and choose what speaks to you.
Support marginalized entrepreneurs
Our experiences are crafted to benefit the communities we explore. We partner with diverse local experts and contribute to the local economy by visiting local restaurants, using local drivers and tour operators, and supporting local small businesses
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We`re giving TWO women $5,000 travel scholarships to attend a @bookedtrips experience in 2025
Thanks to a generous sponsor we have a $10,000 travel scholarship fund. We will award TWO women of color scholarships up to $5,000 each for a 2025 BOOKED Trips experience through @bookedtrips Maya Angelou Travel Scholarship fund.
Just as Maya Angelou drew inspiration from her travels to fuel her writing and artistry, we believe that BOOKED Trips’ book-inspired journeys can be a powerful tool for personal growth and self-discovery. By exploring destinations through the lens of literature, recipients of this scholarship can deepen their understanding of the world, connect with like-minded women and diverse cultures, and ignite their creativity.
We will host a webinar on Thursday, January 30th at 6:00 p.m. ET to share more about the scholarship opportunity.
Scholarship applications will open February 3, 2025 and awardees will be announced in mid-March 2025. Scholarships can be used for our upcoming 2025 trips to Ghana, Morocco, or Colombia.
🔗Learn more by clicking our link in bio or visiting https://bookedtrips.com/the-booked-trips-maya-angelou-travel-scholarship/
***
#TravelScholarship #Travel #TravelThroughBooks #Ghana #Morocco #Colombia #MayaAngelou #BookedTrips #bookstagram
TREVOR NOAH KNOWS WHO WE ARE!
...or at the very least has personally signed each of our travelers books for our April 4-15, 2025 Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa BOOKED Trips experience! 🇿🇦
✈️ Our trips start before our travelers land with custom BOOKED Boxes that give them a taste of South Africa.
Our South Africa BOOKED Boxes include:
✔️A signed copy of “Born A Crime” by Trevor Noah purchased from @eastcitybookshop, a woman-owned bookstore in Washington, DC
✔️A @drum_magazine journal purchased from Drum Archive Shop. Drum Magazine changed the way Black people were represented in South African society by imagining a world beyond apartheid.
✔️ A passport cover purchased from @pulp.paperworks , a team of experienced bookbinders and creatives, banded together by an obsession with paper, sustainability and all of the possibilities in-between.
✔️ Organic rooibos and honeybush tea from Mandela Tea, a family-owned company created in collaboration with the Long Walk to Freedom project. A percentage of the profits of Mandela Tea goes directly to the Mandela Day School Library Project.
✔️ A Xhosa fabric makeup bag from Design Team for @zeitzmocaa . Their feel-good printed fabrics are inspired by nature and everyday life on the African continent.
✔️BOOKED Trips custom bookmark designed by Pretty In Ink Press and room spray designed in collaboration with @storycandlesandgoods both Black woman-owned companies.
🎶 A trip playlist with sounds of South Africa
#BOOKEDTrips #TravelThroughBooks #SouthAfrica #capetownsouthafrica #johannesburg
Wondering what BOOKED Trips are about? We`ve got you covered.
BOOKED Trips are for women who crave meaningful, book-inspired journeys. As an immersive, small-group travel company, we connect curious and community-minded women who want more than just a vacation.
Unlike traditional travel companies, we offer one-of-a-kind experiences that bring stories to life. This leads to deep connections, unforgettable experiences, and a sense of belonging in the places we explore.
The experience:
✔️Our trips are designed for small groups of up to 12 travelers to facilitate meaningful connection and allow us to engage in unique experiences that big groups can`t do.
✔️Before our trips begin our travelers receive a BOOKED box with our selected book, a curated playlist, and items from small businesses around the world that connect to the country we’re visiting.
✔️On the ground our trip activities and meals are inspired by quotes and scenes from our selected book, taking travelers from the page to the place.
✔️Our experiences are crafted to benefit the communities we explore. We partner with locally-owned businesses and contribute to the local economy by visiting local restaurants, using local drivers and tour operators, and supporting local small businesses.
Swipe through to see how we select our books and what makes our experiences unique!
www.bookedtrips.com
Is reading the world on your New Year`s resolution list? Why not start in South Africa? 🇿🇦
UPDATE: THE TRIP IS NOW SOLD OUT!
📚✈️ Just us for our Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa experience inspired by Trevor Noah`s book Born A Crime!
Meet a community of book lovers, add a book to your #10AfricanBooks challenge, and explore two cities in South Africa through book-inspired experiences.
All of our trips are single occupancy (no sharing rooms!). We have the chance to meet local artists, creatives, and historians, a Black owned-winery tour, delicious chef-led dining, a safari, Cape Malay cooking class, a chance to see the penguins of Boulder`s Beach, a champagne catamaran cruise on the V&A waterfront and more.
Swipe through for the itinerary and grab your spot with a $500 deposit! More trip information at our link in bio!
#SouthAfrica #johannesburg #CapeTown #TravelThroughBooks #ReadTheWorld
2024 Acknowledgements Section 📚✈️
Hi everyone, I`m Jalisa, the Founder of @bookedtrips. This has been a big year for us and I didn`t want to end it without saying thank you to our partners, travelers, supporters and the books that inspired me this year.
First to our local partners - none of this work happens without your partnership. Thank you for taking my big visions and making them a reality. Thank you for making sure our travelers are safe and cared for. Thank you for inviting us into the joy, taste, and sounds of your cities. In Cape Town, South Africa: @curiocity.africa and @girlstriptours. In Mexico City @kinka.viajes @saboresmexicoft and @tabularasamx @explorewithalocal . In Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica @soullifetravel and in Accra, Ghana @sorted.chale.
To the women who travel with us (some multiple times) ages 29-69 from all over the U.S., Canada, South Africa and more. THANK YOU! You don`t understand how much it means. You took this leap of faith with me and proved that women coming together to discuss and deeply experience the world through literature is meaningful and life changing. Seeing the friendships that have developed and our trips making your year highlights delights me!
Thank you to @butmakeitbookspod, @booksandbounty, @souloftravelpodcast, and @fodorstravel for telling my and BOOKED Trips story this year.
📖 Finally, the books! My foundation, my escape, my safe space, my stretch space, and the hobby that has brought so many amazing people into my life. The 15 books that topped my list this year:
1. Africa is Not A Country by Dipo Faloyin
2. The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
3. Ordinary Notes by Christina Sharpe
4. Night Flyer by Tiya Miles
5. What It Takes to Heal by Prentis Hemphill
6. Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi
7. Ghostroots by Pemi Aguda
8. Beyond the Shores: A History of African Americans Abroad by Tamara J Walker
10. Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
11. Kill `Em and Leave `Em by James McBride
12. How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
13. We Were Once A Family by Roxanna Asgari
14. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
15. Born A Crime by Trevor Noah
Are Travel and Reading More on your 2025 New Years Resolutions list?
Then we`ve got just the thing. Our 2025 public trip lineup is full of book-inspired travel opportunities. Meet a community of like-minded women from all over the world. www.bookedtrips.comb
🇵🇦 March 6-11, 2025 BOOKED Trips Panama inspired by The Great Divide by Cristina Henríquez (SOLD OUT). We have an amazing journey planned in collaboration with Trip de Jenny, an Afro-Panamanian woman owned company in the country.
🇿🇦April 4-15, 2025 BOOKED Trips Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa (SOLD OUT) inspired by Trevor Noah`s book Born A Crime in collaboration with Girls Trip Tours, a Black woman-owned company & Curiocity a Black-owned South African company
🇬🇭October 9-17, 2025 BOOKED Trips Accra, Ghana (SPOTS OPEN MARCH 2025). Our Ghana experience is back by popular demand and we’re mixing it up with a few new experiences that you won’t want to miss in collaboration with Sorted Chale, a Ghanaian woman-owned company.
🇲🇦November 1-10, 2025 BOOKED Trips Marrakech, Fes, and the Sahara desert, Morocco (SPOTS OPEN APRIL 2025): A journey through Morocco inspired by "Dreams of Trespass" by Fatima Mernissi in partnership with a Moroccan-owned luxury travel company.
🇨🇴December 4-8, 2025 BOOKED Trips Cartagena, Colombia (SPOTS OPEN MAY 2025): inspired by “Love in the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel Garcia Márquez. We`re partnering with IMPULSE Travel, a Colombian-owned, socially responsible travel company.
#TravelThroughBooks
#BookedTrips
#SouthAfrica #Ghana #Colombia #Morocco #Panama
Here`s an early Christmas gift: $10,000 in travel scholarships! 💰🎁
Thanks to Melissa Jones, a generous donor, huge supporter of BOOKED Trips, and avid reader we will award TWO women of color scholarships up to $5,000 each for a 2025 BOOKED Trips experience through @bookedtrips Maya Angelou Travel Scholarship fund.
Just as Maya Angelou drew inspiration from her travels to fuel her writing and artistry, we believe that BOOKED Trips’ book-inspired journeys can be a powerful tool for personal growth and self-discovery. By exploring destinations through the lens of literature, recipients of this scholarship can deepen their understanding of the world, connect with like-minded women and diverse cultures, and ignite their creativity.
We will host a webinar on Thursday, January 30th at 6:00 p.m. ET to share more about the scholarship opportunity.
Scholarship applications will open February 3, 2025 and awardees will be announced in mid-March 2025. Scholarships can be used for our upcoming 2025 trips to Ghana, Morocco, or Colombia.
🔗Learn more by clicking our link in bio or visiting https://bookedtrips.com/the-booked-trips-maya-angelou-travel-scholarship/
***
#TravelScholarship #Travel #TravelThroughBooks #Ghana #Morocco #Colombia #MayaAngelou #BookedTrips #bookstagram
BOOKED Trips Ghana 2024 Recap 🇬🇭
Slide 2📚 Opening dinner w/ traditional Asante dancer and discussion of Yaa Gyasi`s book "Homegoing"
Slide 3: Testimonial
Slide 4: “In my dreams I kept seeing this Castle, but I did not know why. One day, I came to these waters and I could feel the spirits of our ancestors calling to me. Some were free, and they spoke to me from the sand, but some others were trapped deep, deep, deep in the water so that I had to wade out to hear their voices.”
Elmina slave dungeons where the Portuguese, Dutch and then the British captured and sold enslaved West Africans.
Slide 5-7: Visit to Kakum National Park to ground in nature & sound healing and movement meditation session to ground back into our bodies after the visit to the slave dungeons.
Slide 8: Testimonial
Slide 9-10: "No one forgets that they were once captive, even if they are free. But still, Yaw, you have to let yourself be free."
Naming ceremony with the King of the Iture community. Each person was given their Ghanaian names and personally welcomed in as new members of the royal family.
Slide 11-12: “When you study history, you must always ask yourself, whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth?”
We visited Auntie Awo and learned about Adinkra symbols & naming rituals and participated in a hands-on cooking and custom batik-making class with her sons.
Slide 13: Testimonial
Slide 14-15: They had given all they had, assured that it would come back to them in the abundance of freedom."
We learned about Ghana`s fight for Independence during a visit to the Kwame Nkrumah memorial and Independence square.
Slide 16-18: We had a guided tour of Makola Market and practiced our haggling, got a dance lesson, and learned how to play the djembe drum.
Slide 19: “What he wanted to capture with his project was a feeling of time, of having been a part of something that stretched so far back, was so impossibly large, that it was easy to forget that she, and he, and everyone else, existed in it- not apart from him, but inside of it.”
The Nkyinkyim Museum space dedicated to visual archiving of African history & heritage.
